whos running them? what ratio are u running? pros and cons? D70 vs 14 bolt who wins?
CK5
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dana 70
- Thread starter iwaxmyjimmy
- Start date
Steve GMC
1/2 ton status
i like the 14 because, they are everywhere and they have the removable pinion
D70HD, why? 5.86's. 
man when i ran a search alll it picked up was "Dana" and it was all D44 and d60 threads.
The FF 14 bolt and dana 70 are very similar. Same wheel bearings, same size ring gear, same size shafts, same housing thickness and diameter, etc. The 14 bolt has a 3rd pinion bearing and hence is a stronger ring and pinion setup (not that it probably matters much, they're both really strong). A detroit locker for a FF 14 bolt is ~$150 cheaper than the dana 70 version and you can pick up 14 bolts for next to nothing all day. The only real reason to run a 70 is if you want lower than 5.38 gears.
iwaxmyjimmy said:
Both are fantastic rear axles in my opinion .
I run a D70 because of the 5.86's and I already had a D/L for a 4-pinion case for a D70.
As far as the 14FF being "stronger" due to the pilot pinion bearing that is questionable - it is just another way of supporting the pinion shaft . One design uses two larger ( similar equal size ) bearings that are very close together and use a third small pilot bearing to stabalize the shaft and the other design uses just two bearings that are positioned much farther apart and are very supportive by design ( the larger pinion bearings on "B" & H.D. D70's are IMPRESSIVE ). Stronger - no , just another way of supporting a shaft - both are very effective and long lasting designs.
Tom
mouse
1/2 ton status
I believe the D70 is slightly lighter and provides more ground clearance stock than a 14BFF.
IIRC, the D70 pinion is also the same size as a D60.
Some tech:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/D70/D70.htm
IIRC, the D70 pinion is also the same size as a D60.
Some tech:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/D70/D70.htm
mouse said:
The D60 does share the same spline dimensions as the D70 and some versions use the same small ( outer ) pinion bearings - things get bigger on the 70 stuff at the other end of the pinion.
Got to give credit to the boys at AAM ( or the division of GM at that time ) in the pinion shaft diameter on the 14FF - it is much fatter than what Dana used on the D70/60's.
So many variances of the D70's exist some lighter and some heavier - No 14FF is as heavy as a true H.D. D70 version . 4" diameter 1/2" wall tubes connected to a big ole chunk of nodular iron that is heavily ribbed just ain't that light.
Both axles have pro's and con's just depends on what flips your skirt or suits your needs.
Tom
thanx everyone and the main thing im worried about is clearance and beefy. on that tech article it mentioned its only about a half to 3/4s of a inch less ground clearance than a D60 rear. so how much is that over the 14 bolt. it did mention something about shaving the D70. anyone done this??
I have no experience with a D70. But, given the two I'd run a 14 bolt. 14 bolt is way cheap, and it is so easy to work on. I wish GM woulda made a 10.5 14 bolt front, I'd run em front and rear if I could. I prolly haven't said anything that hasn't been said before....but there it is. Kevin
Confedneck79K30
3/4 ton status
and iirc, a d70hd is as wide as a dually 60 front wms to wms...
makes it easier to run H1 beadlocks then dont it?
Confedneck79K30
3/4 ton status
or HD rims...
so how much clearance under the diff are we talkin about, like comparing 14 bolt to HD70?? or how much clearance does a 60 have over a 14 bolt and ill add 3/4s of an inch lol. also when it talks about shaving the 70 the guy mentions modifying the ring gear to clear the new piece welding on the diff. aint that kinda takin it to the extreme or is it as simple as throwing it on a lath and takin a lil off?
Confedneck79K30
3/4 ton status
wow, when you shave a 14bff you just grind the housing, that sounds pretty extreme to mod a ring gear, i dont know what kind of wheeling you do, but ground clearance is always a plus, i think a 70 hangs about a half inch lower...
well im in eastern NC. we got alot of mud around here and all the chicks love to ride with u. but the local club here,http://www.nckrawlers.com/, goes to uwharrie, tellico, and corzet just to name a few. ive been to uwharrie but just as a co pilot. im scared to take my truck there b/c ima break something in the rear end just b/c 10bolts stuck and this is also my DD. i dont have a tow rig so ive gotta have something beefy, and pretty much perfect w/ miniumal maintance. i thought the D70 had a lil more clearance than the 14 bolt, but i now stand corrected. as for gears i dont plan on goin bigger than 42 TSLs. in yalls opinion what would be my best bet?? not gonna do rocks or mogs. i really wanted to do a HP 60 front w/ a Z71 T-case but if i can run the 70 then ima throw some deep gears in it like 5.89 or 6.17s.
iwaxmyjimmy said:
I believe you must do a little grinding. EDM would be the method of choice if you have one of them laying around. Gear steel is very hard and I don't believe any normal lathe tooling will work very well. To make things worse for the lathe it is an interupted cut which will wreak havoc on the tooling.
